A Boy and His Cat
by kathmandu
Summary: Post-Legacy crack drabble series feat. Kitty!Rinzler. When Sam Flynn had been just another bored and lonely kid, he'd often dreamed of having some kind of pet to keep him company. Now as an adult, Sam has one whether he'd like to or not.
1. Mini Adventure 0  Prologue

**Mini Adventure 0 - Prologue  
**

**Author's Note:** Yay! It's here! *dances* This is the first installment of my new drabble series devoted to Sam and his kitty Rinzler. Story takes place very slightly Post Legacy, with Sam and Quorra going back to the Grid to check for any signs of life and finding more than they thought they would... I plan on updating this story once every week, on Saturday, as time permits. I have no idea how long this series will be, but I do have a vague outline as to what I hope to accomplish. Also, please note the rating - this story might start out only PG-13 but I plan on raising that as I go along. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Tron franchise nor any of its characters. This is purely a work of fiction. Oh, and fan-girl love! 3

_Sam Flynn had a problem_.

No, actually, it wasn't really a problem. It was more like an epic fucking disaster of catastrophic proportions.

Or you could basically just sum it all up in one word and say that Sam had a _Rinzler_.

Yep, Sam thought that would work quite nicely, thanks.

"Dammit, Quorra, what the hell am I gonna do," Sam cried, dragging one hand through his hair roughly and unable to fully keep the frustration from seeping into his voice.

Lips quirking up slightly at the corners and looking like she was about one step away from outright laughter, Quorra replied, "Well, I hate to break it to you, Sam, but I'm not entirely sure there's anything you _can_ do."

As one, they both turned to stare in the direction of their present topic of conversation.

It was Clu's former number one henchman and all around badass mother a.k.a. Rinzler. Only, the program was no longer quite the same 'monster straight out of your worst nightmares' that he used to be.

Of course, Sam thought it must be kind of hard to be scary when you sported a pair of the fluffiest black ears and tail that Sam had ever seen.

In fact, if it wasn't for the simple reality that this was Rinzler they were talking about, Sam might even be tempted to call the changes in the program's overall appearance _cute_.

_Oh, fuck my life_, Sam thought to himself irritably.

Sputtering, Sam yelled, "But…but…_look_ at him, Quorra! What the hell happened to him? You can't seriously be suggesting that we take him back to the user world with us!"

"But Sam, you heard what the search programs that found him said. Rinzler was completely unresponsive when they pulled him out of the Sea of Simulation. They were sure he was derezzing until they brought him to you, and when you touched him… Sam, I don't know what you did, but you saved him. You can't just abandon him now," Quorra said, nodding her head towards the former security program.

Sighing, Sam glanced back down again to find that Rinzler was still stuck in his half crouch and gripping the user's leg tightly in both hands while rubbing his helmeted head back and forth.

Oh, and did he neglect to mention the purring? Because he totally mustn't forget about the _purring_. Nope. Absolutely not.

But hey, at least it made a nice change from all that evil growling Rinzler had been doing before.

Sighing, Sam shook his head briefly before turning his gaze back to Quorra.

"Okay. Okay, you're right. I can't just abandon him. But I still don't think it's a good idea for him to come with us. I mean, this is Rinzler we're talking about! And you know how violent he can still be around anyone but me – what happens if he attacks someone? I still say we should stay on the Grid for just a little while longer until I can figure out what part of his code is causing all this trouble and then get rid of it,' Sam argued, hoping against hope that Quorra would finally be convinced to see reason.

Abruptly, Sam felt something soft and warm brush against the skin of his right hand. Startled, Sam caught a glimpse of one of Rinzler's ears, which was poking its way through the program's trademark helmet and accidentally gliding along the user's skin. Shivering slightly, Sam ignored the surge of warmth that suffused his body at that brief touch.

Locking away what surely must have been some kind of crazy hallucination into the lesser used corners of his mind, Sam tried to ignore it, but already he could feel his resolve beginning to crumble.

When Quorra turned to look at him and simply raised one judgemental brow, Sam found himself folding faster than a cheap deck of playing cards.

Resigned, but already regretting the decision before even opening his mouth, Sam conceded, "Fine. We'll take him with us. Though don't say I didn't warn you when all this goes to hell."

Quorra actually laughed at that, eyes shining with a strange combination of relief and mirth, when she answered, "Congratulations, Sam. Looks like you're now the proud owner of one male feline program."

Sam would have sworn that the sound of his resultant cursing could be heard echoing across the entire Grid.

**Next Episode Preview: **_As Sam attempts to adjust to a new life with Rinzler, Rinzler attempts to adjust to...the _idea_ of life without a helmet. *gasp* _**Stay tuned for next weeks exciting installment!**


	2. Mini Adventure 1

All in all, Sam had to admit that it was every bit as bad as he'd thought it would be.

Okay, okay, so maybe it wasn't _all _bad. After all, the trip home had actually gone rather smoothly. It had taken no time at all for Sam and Quorra to convince Rinzler to stand with them on the Portal platform (since, after all, Rinzler had pretty much been Sam's shadow for the last few cycles spent on the Grid). And Sam supposed he should be grateful for that reprieve, since all hell seemed to break lose the minute they arrived back at Flynn's Arcade.

Now, Sam knows he has only himself to blame for not remembering one teeny tiny important fact about programs and the Real World: when they first arrive, all programs are buck naked. Yep, you heard correctly. Rinzler materialized without a single article of clothing to his name (and yet still wearing that ridiculous helmet on his head – how the hell did _that_ happen?), and if that wasn't bad enough, the program_ still_ sported the same cat ears and tail, the existence of which Sam couldn't even begin to explain.

Sam was seriously beginning to think the damn things stuck around (literally, ha ha) just to piss him off. I mean, it wasn't like Sam thought they were…distracting…or anything. Because he _so_ didn't! And it also wasn't the least bit true that Sam's hands occasionally twitched with a wicked urge to tweak one of those long ears or grip that fuzzy tail and just start stroking…

_Ahem_.

Anyway, after finally chasing Rinzler all around the arcade, trying to get the ex-program to stay still long enough to put some clothes on him – and yes, Sam behaved himself, thank you very much – it led to an impromptu petting session, as Rinzler seemed to think that 'dressing time' equaled 'petting time'. Go figure.

It had only gotten worse once they were able to get him outside, Rinzler wearing a t-shirt and sweat pants ensemble covered by a long black hooded trench coat that Sam's dad had had in his chest-of-drawers…presumably for rainy days but Sam and certainly never seen Kevin Flynn wearing anything like it. Regardless, it kept Rinzler's tail and ears from showing, which should be enough to keep him from being too conspicuous – except, of course, this was Rinzler Sam was talking about and the former program apparently couldn't go five seconds without doing _something_ attention-worthy.

First, it was Rinzler's reaction to the sun. Unlike Quorra, Rinzler didn't seem to like the brightness...at _all_. In fact, when they all took their first steps outside Rinzler fell into a protective crouch and his hand went instinctively to his back as is to grab his Identity Disc, only to make whimpering noises when he couldn't find it. Sam even swore that Rinzler was hissing for god's sake, acting like that round yellow ball in the sky had somehow mortally offended him.

After Sam had rubbed Rinzler's shoulders for a few minutes and Quorra stood to the side, making soothing noises, they were eventually able to maneuver to the corner to wait for the cab to arrive. Sam had only brought his Ducati and it certainly wouldn't be enough to hold all three of them for the trip back to Sam's apartment.

Finally, after successfully managing to keep Rinzler from climbing one of the nearby trees lining the street, the cab arrived, and not a moment too soon as far as Sam was concerned.

Although Rinzler hesitated, studying the vehicle in front of him with his head tilted to the side and radiating a strange sort of confusion, he got in obediently enough when Sam tugged on one of his arms.

Once inside, though, Rinzler refused to stay still, twitching every few seconds with the motion of the vehicle, and it wasn't long before the peculiar cat man was trying to climb in Sam's lap and lean his covered head out the window to watch all the fascinating things outside as they went by.

The cab driver kept eyeing them from the rearview mirror, sneaking peeks every now and then and beginning to frown at Rinzler's antics. When Rinzler finally started hissing at Sam for not letting him have his way, the cabbie apparently couldn't stay silent any longer.

"There a problem back there, young man? Something wrong with your…_friend_," at the end the cab driver hesitated, his eyes widening a bit when the middle-aged man caught the abortive flick of Rinzler's tail beneath his coat.

Nervously, Sam pulled Rinzler to him and allowed the ex-program to finally sit in his lap, if only to help keep that wayward tail under control. God only knows what was going through the driver's mind already.

"Uh. _Ahh_," Sam winced when Rinzler's helmet hit him in the chin as the program attempted to get comfortable and curl himself around Sam as much as possible, "We…yeah, we're fine, mister. My buddy, here, just has a bit of a phobia about cars – was in a bad accident once, you know – and he also gets motion sick, so I'm…um…just trying to make him feel a bit more comfortable. Wouldn't want him to get sick and throw up all over your nice interior, right?"

Sam glanced around as he said the last, taking in the rips and tears in the leather of the seats, and secretly thought that a little vomit certainly couldn't make the inside of this particular car any _worse_. And the driver himself, Sam noticed, wrinkling his nose, looked like he could really use a bath…or two…or three.

The cab driver grunted, his eyes still flicking between Rinzler's squirming and the road ahead.

Sam shared a worried glance with Quorra, communicating silently as both of them hoped desperately that Rinzler wouldn't do anything else to further attract unwanted attention.

They had almost made it back to Sam's apartment when _it_ happened.

Rinzler, now radiating perfect contentment as Sam held him in his arms and slowly stroked along the cat man's back, started doing what any feline would do in a moment of perfect contentment: He arched his back into the caresses and began purring. _Loudly_.

Which, of course, made the cab driver scowl in confusion and start looking around to see where the peculiar sound was coming from – and when he finally traced it to Rinzler, the man gaped silently for a few seconds before opening his mouth as if to speak.

Thankfully, this occurred right at the very moment Sam spotted an all-too-familiar modified storage unit. It was Sam's apartment! Silently thanking any higher power he could think of, Sam flashed the cabbie a forced smile and said, "Hey, looks like this is our stop. Thanks for the ride, man!"

Tossing a couple of $20's in the driver's direction – and hoping it would be enough to keep the man's mouth shut – Sam opened his door and pushed Rinzler off of him, ignoring the angry growls this caused, and then stepped outside himself. Ignoring the cat man for the moment, Sam turned to gesture for Quorra to follow both of their examples and exit the vehicle.

Only to see that Quorra was biting his lower lip and shaking her head slowly, regretfully.

"Sam…look, I think it would be best if you stayed with Rinzler by yourself for a few days. It's obvious he feels safest with you, and I think you'd be the best person to help him get…acclimated. Okay? I'll come back to visit you both in a few days," Quorra said firmly, her bright blue eyes pleading with Sam for understanding.

Sam felt his eyes widen and he opened his mouth a few times in distress, only to find that, to his chagrin, he couldn't find anything to say. It was crazy…there was no way he could deal with the psycho former program by_ himself_…

But Sam could clearly see that Quorra was determined, and so squaring his shoulders, Sam finally just nodded his head and planted a wide smile on his lips.

"Sure. Sure, Quorra. It'll be fine. _We'll_ be fine. I'll just call your penthouse number if I need you…" Sam trailed off, feeling abruptly overwhelmed by the monumental task ahead of him.

Scooting over and reaching out a hand to squeeze Sam's closest arm in reassurance, Quorra replied gently, "Yeah, Sam. You'll both be fine. And I promise to come by and check on you soon."

Then Quorra closed the open cab door and turned to tell the curious driver her own street address. As she drove away, Quorra turned to wave at them both from the back window and then she the cab finally disappeared around the corner.

Sighing, Sam clenched his hands into fists in a futile attempt to stay calm. Already, Sam could feel tendrils of panic beginning spread through his body, making him shake and have to close his eyes and take a few deep breathes.

Then Sam felt a warm touch on his shoulder, and opened his eyes to find it was Rinzler. The former program was rubbing gently, apparently trying to comfort Sam the same way Sam was always comforting _him_.

Touched, Sam smiled lightly as he reached up and finally did what he'd wanted to do for what seemed like…forever.

Sam pulled back the hood of the trench coat and took one of those black ears between his fingers. He then began to rub slowly and carefully, an odd feeling of heat building in Sam's stomach as the soft fur stroked along his skin.

Rinzler gave an odd hiccupping purr when Sam started to touch him this way, a sound Sam had never heard him make before. The cat man stepped closer, leaning into Sam's petting while his rumbling grew louder. It seemed like Sam could feel the familiar vibrations reaching all the way down inside of him and making him want to…

Jerking his hand away like it had been burned, Sam turned away and began marching in the direction of his apartment's entrance.

"C'mon, Rinzler. Let's go inside," Sam called, not bothering to look back and see if the former program was following.

It was official.

_Sam was completely screwed_.


End file.
